Love doesn't just go away
by Atramea
Summary: They were ready to let each other go only because they thought that the other was happy without them. But they were wrong, so wrong. They're definitely not ready to let each other go, because none of them is truly happy with what they have. Because they don't have each other. And now everything looks so clear. [Haleb, 6x20, Three-shots]
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: First of all, just so you know and before someone brings it up, NO, I don't feel sorry for Spencer. Not even a little bit, sorry not sorry :)) Anyway, it was hard to write something that could give justice to this scene because it was...I don't even know how to define it. Ash &Ty keep giving me all the freaking feels, despite all the shit we had to watch in this awful 6b. Thank God there was this moment. I actually teared up a little while watching it :) So, nothing, happy reading! I hope it's not too bad, let me know :) _**

* * *

"I never stopped loving you."

There it is.

She said it, she said it out loud.

She finally told _him_.

She knows it's not fair, she knows he is with someone, she knows _she_ is with someone, someone who's supposed to be marrying soon. She knows that. But now she feels in danger, she feels like she might die, and she knows this is the only moment to let him know the truth.

For all these years, he's thought she had chosen her carreer over him, but it's not like that. She had made a mistake, probably the biggest of her life, then she had realized her mistake and ran back to him, but it was too late.

He was gone.

She was ready to drop everything for him, but he wasn't there anymore.

And that wouldn't be just a stupid fight. Because yes, they had already fought because of her job, plenty of times. But everytime, when she came back late at night and found him in their bed waiting up for her, she knew she could slip under the blankets and cuddle up to him, because he was always ready to wrap his arm around her body and kiss her forehead, like nothing had happened.

But this time was different. He was too sick and tired of the whole days her job was keeping to steal from them, that was the last straw.

This time he wasn't home waiting for her.

He was _really_ gone.

And Hanna couldn't blame anyone but herself for that.

So she had tried to move on. She had found a sweet and caring guy, Jordan. She was basically building the life of her dreams, the life she wanted since she was a kid. Working in the fashion business, married to a handsome man with her same passion, living in a big house in New York... Everything sounded perfect.

But it _wasn't_ perfect at all. Something was missing. _Someone_ was missing. However, Hanna thought she could do this because she was _never_ going to see Caleb again.

But, somehow, life always brings them back to each other.

And from the day he had walked in her hotel room three years after their break-up in New York, she knew the 'life of her dreams' was nothing but a huge lie.

A lot happened from that day. Hanna had tried with all of herself to bury her true feelings, to convince herself that what she felt for Caleb was just a connection because he was her first love, nothing more than that. She had really tried.

But as the days went by and as she watched him smile at someone else, she knew that she was just lying to herself.

This could be the last chance to tell him the truth, and he deserves to know. He's never let her down, he's always been fair to her, so she wanted to be honest with him right now.

That's why she found the guts to speak up. She never stopped loving him, that's the truth. And by the way he's looking at her right now, in a matter of seconds she understands that he never did either.

She knows that what she and Caleb had is nothing they will ever have with Spencer, Jordan or whatever other person in the world. What she and Caleb had only happens once in a lifetime, if it happens at all. They were lucky to find each other to make it happen and live that, and nothing will ever cancel any of that. Their love wasn't just a high school crush, it wasn't just a fly, it wasn't an illusion or anything like that.

Their love was pure love, and love doesn't just go away.

Sure, they've hurt each other in the last period, even if probably unconsciously. Being adults now, they got to hurt each other more than when they were teenagers. She was ready to start a life with another man, he had started dating her bestfriend. But the truth was that her engagement ring stabbed him everytime he saw it, and the looks he gave her bestfriend simply killed her.

But both of them thought that it was good like that.

There was this part of Hanna which wasn't ready to let Caleb go, that didn't want him to be _just_ a part of her past. But then there was this other part of herself, which was telling her that it was better like that. What she and Caleb had had was one of the best things she had ever lived, and ending it for good seemed fair, because it was one of her best memories. A beautiful, pure, passionate love. His memory would never die, nothing would ever cancel it, but Jordan was there now, he loved her, he would give her a happy life.

And Caleb was kind of feeling the same way. It was clear that Hanna had meant so much to him, so it wasn't exactly easy letting her go accepting that, officially starting from the day of her wedding, she would start building a life with someone else. But he knew it was life. _All_ good things came to and end. He thought that, that night in New York, she had chosen her job and broken up with him for good, so he had just told himself to respect her choice. And then he had tried to move on too, searching for some comfort from someone who reminded him so much of the beautiful blonde who had held his hand for years.

They were ready to let each other go only because they thought that the other was happy without them.

But they were wrong, _so_ wrong.

They're definitely not ready to let each other go, because none of them is truly happy with what they have. Because they don't have each other.

And now everything looks so clear.

It looks clear when Hanna admits her feelings, looking straight into his chocolate eyes with fat tears blurring her sight. That's all Caleb needed to hear. He could swear his heart skipped a beat in that moment.

He watches as she shyly hides her face from him, hoping he hasn't noticed the tears that are now falling from her beautiful big eyes, those same baby blue eyes that had completely stolen his heart when he was sixteen. But he's obviously noticed her tears, plus he knows her like the back of his hand, so even if he hadn't noticed it, he would've known that if she was bending her head down it was because she didn't want to been looked at.

He naturally moves his hand to her face, cupping one of her cheeks and bringing her eyes back into his. She looks so beautiful. Fragile, scared, nervous, maybe a little embarassed, but still so beautiful. But her tears always kill him. He's never stood it when she cried. He slowly moves his thumb over her cheek, catching a tear which was about to roll down her cheek. Her cheek feels soft, warm, exactly like he remembers, even though it's been so long since the last time he touched her angelic face.

She looks up at him. Her tears are still clouding her sight, but she can definitely see the way he's looking at her. She can tell that he would give anything to make her stop crying right now, but this time she just _can't_ stop crying.

It hurts being so close yet so far to each other, it hurts the situation they ended up in, _everything_ hurts.

His hand is still slowly and gently caressing her cheek, a wonderful and familiar feeling that she immediately realizes she's really missed during the last years. Even though she can't stop crying, his touch has something soothing which makes her want him to never stop.

And it doesn't seem like he's going to. He keeps running his thumb across her cheek, wiping her tears away and continuing to look at her. Hanna suddenly notices he's clenching his jaw, something she knows he does only when he's really emotional. And just as she looks back into his eyes, she saw that they've dropped to her lips.

Something clicks inside of her when she saw his eyes on her lips. Something _strong_. She doesn't know what it is, she only knows that she finds herself doing the same thing. She's looking at his lips too. They're trembling. And that something inside of her suddenly makes her head fall forward. She's closer to him now. Their foreheads are touching.

At that, Caleb brings his eyes back to hers. She's looking at his lips, just like he was doing a second earlier. He doesn't know if he's still breathing or not, he feels like the whole world no longer exists. There are only him and Hanna. Then she looks back into his eyes, and he sees it.

He sees love.

He sees _home_.

His thumb makes another move across her cheek, still feeling it a little wet because of her tears. He looks at her one more time and she's looking at his lips again, so he looks at hers as well before bringing her eyes back on hers, and she's looking back at him once again.

It's all _so_ slow. It's like they're playing some sort of game of looks, even though it's definitely not the moment to play. In fact, Hanna thinks she might die right now, before their dangerous plan about the big bad even starts. But that would probably be the best way to die.

Suddenly, nothing exists. She feels like she and Caleb are the only ones in the world, which is what he's feeling too. They've like created their own dimension, or maybe they're just _back_ to their own dimension. They're in a place where no one else can get in. A _safe_ place.

Maybe they're not that far from each other, after all.

When his thumb stops moving, she looks one last time into his eyes and sees the same love he saw into hers. And that's enough to make her flutter her eyes shut, keeping that image of love there.

He feels her long damp eyelashes caress his nasal bone as she lowers her eyelids, slightly tickling him, and then he sees her eyes closed. She's only waiting for him. That's when he closes his eyes too.

Their lips are already close, they only need one of the two to join them. Caleb doesn't hesitate and takes the duty himself, blindly closing Hanna's soft lips into his.

It all happens in a matter of seconds, nevertheless it's incredibly, _magically_ slow.

He's finally kissing her, and it feels like these years have never passed. It truly feels like coming home. She still tastes the same, her lips are as soft as he recalls, even her shy yet passionate way of kissing back is just like years earlier.

He instinctively opens his lips and gently pushes his tongue into her mouth, meeting hers. It all comes in a natural way, their gestures are spontaneous. They kiss slowly, in perfect synchrony, carefully taking in all the things they missed about each other, enjoying their little moment of eternity.

Nothing hurts anymore now.

Caleb is blowing her mind. Everytime he kisses her, Hanna always feels her whole body burning and her heart starts racing furiously. Everything is just like when they were sixteen, and she has a feeling that it will never change. The way he makes her feel, his touch, his lips all over hers... It's _perfect_. She only feels love, everything else doesn't exist.

And Caleb feels like he's doing the most right thing in his whole life, because it's like it's all suddenly okay. No matter the years, the mistakes, the pain, the tears... Everything's okay again as soon as their lips meet.

Yes, they're back home.

They always find their way back to each other, eventually.

How can you call 'mistake' something like that? How could it be wrong?

She never stopped loving him and he never stopped loving her.

Love doesn't just go away.

 _This_ is everything that matters.


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N: Surprise! I eventually decided to add this chapter —and, if you'd like, I might add a final one as well where Caleb finds Hanna in the church...obviously alive ;)— to this story because of your awesome reviews, which truly inspired me. I'm really happy you guys appreciated the first chapter and I thought I could actually keep writing this. So, this chapter starts exactly where we left off in the first one — let's just pretend that Aria and Ezra never interrupted Haleb like they did in the show, lol. I'm pretty sure that before they came into the room, I caught a glimpse of Caleb's hand moving off Hanna's face to go lower...hence this chapter is born. Just a little warning: this second shot could be someway rated M, but it's nothing too naughty, so no worries, haha ;) Just thought I should warn you, but just in case :) Well, I hope you'll like it enough to leave me another comment! Happy reading :)_**

* * *

Things can only go _one_ way now.

Caleb's hand, someway, moves away from Hanna's face only to descend and grip her jacket, tugging at it before making a clear move in attempt to slide it off her. She doesn't fight it and let him do that, without parting their lips. When her jacket is off, he pushes her down on the bed and hovers her, roaming his hands up and down her sides before finally slipping underneath the thin material of her shirt.

But then, suddenly, he stops and pulls away. He looks down at her as she slowly lifts her eyelids. Her breathing is heavy just like his. Caleb just needs to be sure that she's okay with what they're about to do, what _he_ desperately wants to do, because, no matter what, he doesn't want to push her into anything. Sure, she just told him that she never stopped loving him, but he doesn't know if _this_ is what she wants _right now_.

Hanna stares up at him for a long moment, bringing her hands up to rest at his sides. He takes a strand of her hair between his fingers and moves it away from her face, and he's about to ask her if she's sure but she has already read his mind because she's nodding.

For once in her life, Hanna Marin doesn't want to feel guilty.

He nods back at her before taking the hem of her shirt, pulling it up. She raises her arms and helps him pull it off her head, then he just throws it away.

No matter how many times he's seen her body, he's always enchanted by her beauty. He takes a second to take in the image of her black lacy bra contrasting the paleness of her skin before leaning down and reconnecting his lips with hers. Hanna pulls his jacket off his shoulders as she responds to his kiss, and his shirt follows in a matter of seconds. His upper half is even more toned than the last time she checked.

Caleb's next move brings him to his knees across the bed to carefully remove Hanna's shoes before straightening himself up to unbutton her jeans and pull them down until he can finally take them off. He bits his bottom lip when he sees her in nothing but her matching underwear set and suddenly feels eager. He quickly unbuckles his belt, undoes his jeans, kicks his shoes off and finally removes the jeans, as fast as he can. And he's not wearing any underwear.

Hanna doesn't have enough time to fully admire his naked figure again after years because Caleb's once again all over her, covering her body with his as a second skin. He smashes his mouth against hers and kisses her with all the passion running through his veins, tangling his hands through her hair as their tongues begin battling again. She responds by roaming her hands down his whole smooth back, starting from his toned shoulders and descending all the way down until they stop on his hips.

Caleb pulls away and bits gently on her bottom lip before licking it to soothe the pain, then does the same to her chin as his hands are suddenly busy to lower the cups of her bra. When he's done, he kisses all the way down her jawline, neck, collarbone until he finally reaches her perfect breasts. He grabs them gently and alternates kisses between the two, massaging their sides as she starts squirming beneath his stronger body. She brings her hands to his head, running her thin fingers through his short but thick locks, pulling at it everytime his tongue touches one of her nipples.

He's in complete control right now, and she loves it. She loves it especially when he becomes exasperated and struggles to find the clasp of her bra blindly moving a hand behind her back, which she arches to help him. He eventually finds it and unclasps the black item, freeing her a little bit more. He places a kiss on her left breast and then another one to the right before standing back up again.

He softly runs his hands up her thighs before grabbing the waistband of her panties, looking at her to ask for a silent permission. She's slightly flushed, her blue eyes are narrowed but sparkling and she's chewing on her lower lip. Her chest rises and falls following the pace of her heavy breathing, her hair is a mess of tangled locks, but she looks like a fucking goddess to Caleb, the most beautiful being he has ever seen.

She nods, twice, and releases her bottom lip from her teeth. He nods back and moves his gaze back to her waist, where he gently pulls at her panties and starts to move them down. When they leave her womanhood, though, he just stays focused on them. His eyes follow them as they caress her smooth skin, brushing softly against her thighs, her knees, her calfs, her ankles and finally her feet. They end their slow descent and he finally takes them off, placing them on the ground before standing back on his feet.

And now he looks at her, completely naked for him. He smiles. He genuinely wonders if a girl can actually be this beautiful, but he's got his answer right in front of him. She looks back at him and makes a small smile back. She's happy.

Caleb comes to her side of the bed and offers her a hand to help her up. She accepts it and suddenly they're both standing on their feet, too close to resist to the urge of kissing again. They do that, and he holds her tightly at her waist as she cups his face and moves it and the angle she likes, their lips becoming a wonderful single thing once again. They pull back at the same time, exchanging an intimate look before he pulls away slightly from her body. He takes her hand in his and laces their fingers, then he uses his free hand to pull back the covers of the bed. He carefully sets the pillow where he thinks it has to be, where he _knows_ Hanna would be comfortable resting her head on it. When he's done, he helps her sit on the mattress and then lie down.

Hanna doesn't let go of his hand and looks up at him, blinking twice, then she pulls him toward her. He positioned himself on top of her, careful not to hit her as he does that, gently pushing her legs apart in order to be able to lie in between them. Once he thinks they're settled, he pulls back up the covers, over their naked, trembling, _eager_ bodies.

Caleb nudges his nose against hers and looks deep into her eyes as he takes a hold of both of her hands, moving them at either side of her head as he locks their fingers again, but this time tighter. He rests his forehead against hers and mantains their eye-contact as he slowly enters her. Hanna closes her eyes and squeezes his hands at the feeling, letting out an almost whispered gasp which sounds like heaven to his ears.

He stills once he's fully into her body. She's always so tight and warm for him and it just feels so good. _No one_ feels like her. He closes his eyes too and breaths out a small sigh, then he feels her arms coming up to hug him, and she holds him tightly, _so_ tightly against her, like she wants him to be as close as possible, like she's not letting him go this time.

 _Not this time_.

This time he won't leave.

This time they won't lose their way.

When they open their eyes in the exact same moment, because they have an infallible harmony, they mirror their gazes into each other's eyes and they _realize_.

This is the first time they make love in years.

Neither of them has made love since when they were in New York. They never felt this way since then. And that's because taking clothes off and just having sex is so easy. It's just a process, it's nothing complicated, at all. But making love is different. Making love is letting a person enter you, but not just phisically. When you make love you touch someone's heart, you embrace someone's soul, you share your life with someone, even if just for a moment.

And that's exactly what is happening right now, in this dark cold motel room, where two people always been madly in love have just found their way back to each other, as they _always_ do.

They just can't say goodbye to each other, not for good.

The invisible thread connecting their hearts has never split.

He begins moving slowly, with delicacy. She loops her legs around his waist and buckles her hips up to meet him. They know every inch of each other by heart, they've done this a billion times, but this time is just _perfect_. It's like it's all in order. Every move, every kiss, every shiver, every sigh. _Everything_.

Their hands touch each other's face, tracing their familiar outlines, as they merge their lips again while continuing to create pleasure, warmth and love with their joined bodies.

It's like the clock of the world has stopped, time doesn't exist.

They don't realize how long the whole connection lasts, probably because their _real_ connection is endless, but eventually Hanna closes her eyes shut and lets herself go in a short gasp, the love become too much for her to handle. Caleb can almost feel her heart explode, happy that he's been the one who just gave her that shock of pleasure, and when she pulls him even closer to her, he follows her in the fulfillment, spilling everything he's left to give into her.

They stay like that for a minute, catching their breaths, both silent and still. There's no regret, no guilt, no doubt. Once again, there's just _love_. That's what they just made, after all.

Caleb still has his forehead pressed against hers when she opens her eyes, looking into his ones. Hanna smiles again. She's even happier now that she's completely sure that the love between them is still there, that has never changed. She felt it while he was into her, she felt just the same way of years ago. It was just as beautiful as years ago, or maybe even more. The way he undressed her, the way he did it all with such delicacy and gentleness, the way he looked at her for the whole time, the way she totally lost the sense of time while he was into her. This is the man she loves with all her heart, that's for sure. The man she's been loving for years and years.

He smiles back before catching her lips between his once again, just to let her know that he knows what she's thinking and he _totally_ agrees with her.

"I never stopped loving you either." he whispers against his lips, nudging her nose slightly.

This is the first time that one of the two speaks after they kissed, and that's exactly what Hanna was dying to hear from his beautiful, soft lips.

Her smile grows, she's showing her perfectly white teeth now, but Caleb can only catch a glimpse of that because she's suddenly pulling him closer, demanding another kiss. And of course he obliges, he knows he would do anything for his princess.

This is exactly how home feels like, the home he never had in his life until meeting the woman he's kissing right now.

 _Hanna_ is his home.

And this time he won't leave his home.

When their kiss ends, he rolls off her before pulling her into his arms and hugging her the tightest he can, kissing the top of her head before whispering the three magic words he's never told anyone but her.

"I love you."

It feels so nice to finally hear those words from him, Hanna thinks. He's told her a thousand times, but this time they sound different. They have such a beautiful sound and she can't do anything but look up at him and, smiling again with no more shadows in her eyes or heart, say them back to him, the man of her life.

"I love you too."

Life didn't give them the opportunity to live their love the way it deserved in the past. But right now, life is giving them a second chance, and they sure as hell won't throw it away.

Tonight needs no more promises or demonstrations. They already made this night _their_ night, and whatever is going to happen from now on doesn't matter.

The only thing that matters is their love, a love that _always_ triumphs, and tonight just proved it.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hanna!"

His voice sounds so far, so faded.

"Hanna! God, Hanna, please wake up!"

She can hear it, but it still sounds so distant... So _unreachable_.

Is she dying or what?

Well, maybe. But she's not dead _yet_. Because she can feel his arms engulfing her tiny, cold, aching body.

"Hanna... Hanna, please..."

His tone is way softer now. He's not screaming anymore, he's sort of whispering. And sobbing, to be honest. Because he's crying, softly, but he is.

He can't accept all of that. He _won't_ accept it. He has just found her back, she has just found him back, _they_ have just found their way back to each other after years. This can't be happening right now. And he's blaming himself too, because he was stupid not to check the damn floor of that motel room. Hanna is lying unconscious in his arms because of him, he knows that.

"Hey... You can't do this to me, you hear me? Stay strong, okay? The ambulance is already on its way, it's coming for you. You... You just have to stay with me, okay? Just that, Han. Please, stay with me..."

She can hear him. But she can't do much to make him know that. She literally can't move. However, now that she can feel him that close to her, she actually thinks she won't die.

Because no matter how long it takes, he always comes for her. And he's always, _always_ on time.

"Everything's gonna be alright, I promise. I promise on my life. I love you, okay?"

Hell no, she definitely won't die. She owes the love of his life an 'I love you' back.

* * *

She doesn't know how she went totally unconscious after that. She doesn't remember basically anything after the feeling of Caleb holding and speaking to her in the middle of nowhere. What she knows is that she's waking up now, and even though the pain hasn't gone, at least she's not cold anymore. Slowly, her eyes adjust to the light of the room, and she uses a minute or so to remember how to use her body. Only then, she finally makes up the figure of her mom sitting on a chair next to what looks like her hospital bed, and she decides to speak... _Try to_ , at least.

"Mom?"

Her own voice sounds horrible, she immediately thinks, as soon as she hears it. It came out raspy and throaty, not to mention that it could been just barely heard. And her mom looks like she's sleeping, so of course she doesn't hear her. But Hanna doesn't give up, she never does. So this time she takes a breath and tries to speak louder, and maybe she actually does.

"Mom?"

That's when Ashley Marin opens her eyes and wakes up, immediately focusing her attention on her daughter.

"Hanna? Oh, sweetie, how are you feeling?" she asks concerned, coming closer to her and holding both of her hands.

"Well, I've been better."

Ashley half-smiles, caressing Hanna's cheek.

"Mom, what happened?" the blonde asks again.

Ashley sighs deeply before replying.

"We don't know exactly... You were found unconscious at the church. The doctors said you've been hit on the head by something heavy, that's how you passed out. But other than that... We don't know. But I swear to God, we'll take whoever did this to you, okay?"

Hanna nods weakly.

"Caleb... Caleb found me, right?" she asks then.

Her mom nods.

"You remember that?" she asks then.

"Not exactly, but... Well... Ugh, you know, now it's not really the best time to explain things, mom."

Ashley genuinely smiles and nods in understanding.

"Where is he now?" Hanna asks.

"He's outside with your friends. The doctors told us that just one person could stay here with you since you need space and rest, honey. So your friends decided to let me in, although they didn't go away."

"Can I see him? Just... Just for a minute, mom. Please." Hanna blurts out.

Ashley is kind of surprised by that.

"Jordan should be here any minute, he took the first flight available." the redhead adds quickly, but Hanna replies immediately.

"Mom, I... I want Caleb, not Jordan."

And even if Ashley doesn't know it yet, that sentence couldn't be more true.

"Okay." the woman breathes out then, standing up from the chair.

"Mom?" Hanna calls from the bed as Ashley makes its way to the door.

"Yeah?" her mom says as she turns around.

"Thank you."

And that's a 'thank you' for a lot of things: for being there, for not asking any questions, for respecting her will, for never leaving her alone. Ashley knows that Hanna will make everything clear to her and to everyone, but she also knows that she has to respect her time.

In fact, Ashley smiles and nods before finally leaving her room.

Hanna takes a deep breath. She doesn't know what to tell Caleb. She's not sure how to act around him either. They did have their moment earlier that night, sure, but the ring on her left hand confirms that she's still an engaged woman and for what she knows, he has something going on too...with her bestfriend, who's most likely outside her room as well.

But the only thing she knows is that she wants to see him.

And just as she thinks that, he finally enters the room, a worried expression on his face and his clothes dirty.

"Hanna..." he breathes out, running to her bed.

Before she knows, he's hugging her, and she immediately feels better.

"You okay?" he whispers again, still holding her.

"I am now." she spontaneously replies, and he can't stop the smile that's rising on his face.

He pulls away slightly and fixes a few loose strands of her hair, gently moving them behind her ears as he sat down on the chair previously occupied by her mom. She searches for his hand and he gladly offers it to her, who takes it and gives it a light squeeze.

"I know you rescued me." she whispers, smiling.

He chuckles and shakes his head before replying.

"I did nothing. Just found you and called 911."

"And you call it 'nothing'?"

He chuckles again, looking down at their joined hands.

"Thank you." she adds, and he shakes his head again.

"Don't thank me, Han. It's okay. The important thing is that you're safe now."

"I'd be dead if it wasn't for you, Caleb."

He bits his lip and looks up at her.

"I'm sorry." he whispers then, and his eyes are suddenly watery.

Hanna furrows an eyebrow in confusion.

"Hey... You're sorry for what?" she asks.

He shakes his head.

"I should have checked the floor before promising you were safe. And I... I should have waited for you... _that_ night." he murmurs.

Hanna feels her heart crack at the memory, and it cracks even more seeing him blaming himself just like she's been blaming herself for the past few years.

"It wasn't your fault. _I_ messed up everything for my stupid job... I left the apartment first that night. I took you for granted, I was a selfish idiot." she replies, trying to hold back her tears.

"But I didn't wait for you, I didn't even give you the chance to contact me... Things should have just gone differently. We could've avoided so much pain."

"I know." she just nods.

They stay silent for a little, then Hanna catches sight of her own engagement ring and realization hits her.

"You know, we... We haven't really talked about... What we did..." she stutters, embarassed.

Caleb sighs.

"Well... Actually, I talked with Spencer earlier." he says then.

Hanna doesn't know whether it's better that he did it without her or not.

"What... What _exactly_ did you tell her?" she asks hesitantly.

"I... I told her the truth. Look, yesterday she... She told me that she loved me. But I couldn't say it back to her, and then I realized that even if at first I thought we could work, actually I was taking my life to the wrong way. I didn't feel the same, that's why I couldn't tell her that I loved her. Because I've always loved _you_. I only fell in love with one person in my whole life, and I still love this person... You. I will never be able to stop loving you, Hanna. My heart has always belonged to you. Look... I don't know what you want to do now. About us, your wedding, Spencer... Honestly, I don't know. I know that you love me, and I also know what happened between us just a few hours ago, but... I just want you to decide what you _really_ want, with no pressure. I just want you to do what truly makes you happy. I know you feel sorry for Spencer, and I do too, but I don't want to pretend things with her, nor keep deceiving her. She doesn't deserve it. She might be pissed off at us for a while, but she'll get over that. I'm sure that she doesn't really love me like _that_ , and soon she'll realize it, she's smart enough. Look, I'm sorry that this whole mess happened, and I told you, I really wish things were different right now. I'm so, so sorry that this isn't the situation that you would have deserved. But we're in this situation now, and I'm telling you... I don't regret making love to you earlier, not even a little bit, despite this whole situation. I know we probably hurt other people doing that, but we've suffered for too long in the first place and I'm sure we'll both deal with the consequences of our actions, we're not kids anymore and we know we have to take our responsabilities. But now that I also know what happened that damn night in New York, I couldn't be more sure that what I want is a life with you. And tonight the thought of losing you just made it all even clearer. I can't live without you, I can't keep taking my life to some random directions before realizing that they're all wrong. Because my life can only go one way... _yours_. I've always been a very complicated person, I never really liked people in general and I lived with a broken heart because of my past until I met you. You changed my life in so many wonderful ways and you made me know things about me that I didn't even know. You turned the little dark corner that my life was into an endless space full of so many amazing colors that I didn't even know existed. And you did it simply being you, letting me slowly know you, all of your beautiful little things. And if today I'm the man I am, it's also because of you. Because you taught me the meaning of the word 'love' and made me a better person. And a person like me, who hadn't had many beautiful things from life before you, could never get over a person who has given him this much. I don't know, maybe I'm being ridicolous, but... What I'm trying to say is that... You're my life, Hanna. I mean it. And whatever you decide, I'll respect your choice. But remember that I'll always be there for you. You're the only direction my life can take, and... This time I won't make the mistake of not waiting for you."

Hanna is crying by now. His whole speech has literally filled her heart, it was so bittersweet but yet so full of love that her heart's literally exploded. She feels a bunch of different emotions right now, but when she looks at him she knows he means every word he just said, and it only feels so good. No one has ever told her things like those, and knowing that it's him telling them, completely honestly, really touches her.

He is the one, but she knew it even before hearing him say those things.

Sure, she feels sorry for Spencer, also thinking that she has said the three words to Caleb, but she doesn't know him like Hanna does... So she can't actually love him, not the way Hanna does.

She knows she will feel sorry for Jordan too, because he's a very good guy, but that's exactly why he doesn't deserve a false marriage. She will tell him the truth just like Caleb did with Spencer. Hanna never hides herself, she has to talk with Jordan and she sure will, also hoping he will find a girl who loves him like he deserves.

But this time, it's her turn to be happy and no one will ruin that.

Through her tears, she smiles at Caleb and squeezes his hand tighter. He returns her smile, a little unsure because he _needs_ her to tell him that what she wants is him before jumping into conclusions.

"I heard you when I was unconscious at the church." she finally says.

Caleb is a little lost. That wasn't exactly the reaction he was expecting from her after all the things he's just told her.

"What... What did you hear?" he asks then, uncertainly.

" _Things_. Anyway, the only thing you need to know is that... I love you too."

He furrows his eyebrows but smiles. It always melts his heart to hear those three words fall from his favorite lips. And those same lips are suddenly closer to his ones, and she leans in just enough to join then in a meaningful and delicate kiss.

"And... Of course I choose you. I will always choose you." she whispers finally, and he feels like life couldn't be more beautiful.

They smile at each other, then laugh, and then they're once again kissing, mumbling against each other's lips all the 'I love you's they haven't said for years, forgetting for a moment of all the bad things, because tonight they have found back the most beautiful thing in life...

 _Love_.

And boy, had they missed it.

"This time l'll never let you go." he whispers, nudging his nose against hers.

"Don't worry, I'll never let you go either." she smiles at him.

* * *

 **A/N: And that was the final chapter of "Love doesn't just go away" — sorry for the long wait :) I hope you enjoyed it! The first two chapter were almost completely dialogue-less, and it was my choice to write them in that descriptive form, so here I felt like they finally needed to talk. Also, I didn't want to bring Spencer or Jordan directly in here —in fact there's just a little Ashley Marin's cameo, but the only characters of the whole story are Hanna and Caleb— because this is a Haleb story and I kind of didn't want them to be part of the story :P But Hanna and Caleb are both sure of what they want to do, so... ;) Also, I really hope Caleb's speech was good enough, not too cheesy not too forced. I tried to make him say all the things I think he feels for Hanna and the way I think he feels about the whole situation, so... Nothing, I hope it was decent :P And the first part of this chapter is kind of "blurry" because I wanted to write it from Hanna's perspective, since we don't even really know what exactly happened to her at the church :/ So that's it. I hope this short story was nice to read, and I'd like to know it from you guys :) However, stay tuned because I'll be back soon with my new Haleb AU, I have some chapters already written, they just need to be edited, so... Sooner or later you're gonna have them, I promise ;) Thank you as always for all of your kind words, if you want to tell me something else about this final chapter, I'll be glad to read it, so leave me a review :) Have a nice day and remember to stay tuned for the new AU ;) Love you guys! xx -Atramea.**


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